Kneeling for a Second Chance Novel

---- Chapter 275 When Sebastian held his first shareholder meeting as the CEO of Grant Group, he had just been discharged from the ICU, looking extremely thin and frail. He was clearly sick and would cough up blood from time to time. Calvin was already his assistant, feeling that Sebastian would be sent back into the ICU if he coughed any harder. Nicholas was present during the meeting as well. The father and son duo played their roles perfectly -one stern and one gentle, while the previous CEO, Alexander , stepped in as the mediator.

The three of them worked together seamlessly and cleaned up all the entrenched old, stubborn executives in one fell swoop. The Belcour Hotel project in Broburgh had been in the works for along time, but progress had always been sporadic, leaving it ina state of limbo. After Sebastian took over the Grant Group, the company immediately invested 30 billion dollars to build the city's first ultra-luxury oceanfront hotel. Sebastian soon returned to the hotel where he was staying. He came out of the bathroom, his thin frame wrapped ina black bathrobe.

He sat down before the floor-to-ceiling window and let the moonlight spill onto his lean figure. ---- His collar hung slightly open, revealing a scar resembling a centipede across his frail yet strong-looking chest. Athin silver chain with a single pearl hung around his neck, which swayed as he moved. The pearl was no longer smooth. It was no bigger thana fingernail, but it had once taken the blow ofa fatal strike meant to end his life. It had been shattered by the attack. The cracks remained no matter how perfectly it was repaired. The pearl was no longer flawless.

Sebastian could not help but recall Leo's words that Valeria was akin to that pearl of his. He slipped the necklace off his neck, letting it sway gently in the air, resembling the hypnotic swing of a grandfather clock. Sebastian had seen her tonight -and he would see her again tomorrow. Even chance encounters could be arranged after all. He missed her so much that he was nearly losing his mind. 'The next afternoon, at the turf club. Kayla arrived with Valeria, both dressed in casual clothes. They entered the locker room and then changed into their riding gear.

Valeria buttoned up her jacket and smoothed ---- down her sleeves. The men's and women's changing rooms were next to each other. When Valeria walked out, she saw Sebastian there as well. Sebastian had changed into a set of all black riding gear. He stood tall and straight with half of his body exposed to the sunlight. The sunlight shining across his face helped sharpen up his refined features. 'The standard riding gear at the turf club was a universal size, but it only served to emphasize how lean Sebastian's body was as it hung on his body in a way that made it seem almost ill-fitted.

Sebastian turned to look at Valeria, but she did not look back at him. Kayla came up to him, saying, "Hello, Mr. Grant. It's been some time." When they last met, he was still not the Grant Group's CEO. He glanced at Kayla and nodded, recognizing her as Nathan's lover. Then, he nodded again at Kayla before setting his gaze on Valeria's face. Kayla tugged lightly at Valeria's arm, hinting to her to at least say hello to Sebastian. Valeria's tone was as polite and mechanical as that of a ---- receptionist's. "Good afternoon, Mr. Grant." "Good afternoon, Ms. Neal," replied Sebastian.

His voice, however, was extremely calm. As he spoke, his thin lips curved up slightly as he squinted his eyes. Just then, Calvin walked up to him and said, "Hello, Mr. Grant. " He had come looking for Sebastian because Sebastian had not come out of the changing room for quite some time. Fearing that it might be a complication with Sebastian's health, he rushed inside. The instant he saw the scene, however, he realized that he had overthought the situation, as well as having intruded on their moment. Calvin wanted to turn around and leave, but it would be too obvious a move.

He coughed lightly instead and said, "Mr. Grant, Nemo has been sent to the lounge."